News of the day from across the nation, Dec. 14

1Guam citizenship: People born in the territory of American Samoa should be recognized as U.S. citizens, Utah U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoups decided Thursday in a case filed amid more than a century of legal limbo but whose eventual impact remains to be seen. The Pacific islands southwest of Hawaii are the only place in the country without an automatic claim to citizenship. People born there are labeled U.S. nationals, meaning they pay taxes but cannot vote, run for office or apply for certain government jobs. Waddoups ruled that they are entitled to birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment.

2New Orleans cyberattack: Mayor LaToya Cantrell declared a state of emergency Friday after a cyberattack in New Orleans. The city’s network saw phishing attempts and suspicious activity that forced it to shut down servers and all government computers as a precaution. Cantrell said ransomware was detected but that no ransom had been demanded. No city employee information was compromised in the cyberattack, and the 911 system was not affected, the city said. Pensacola, Fla., was hit by an cyberattack earlier this week that affected city employees’ emails and phones and shut down some online payment systems.

3Sanders withdraws support: Bernie Sanders retracted his endorsement for online news personality Cenk Uygur in a Southern California congressional race on Friday after coming under fire from supporters for backing someone who had made demeaning and controversial comments about women, Muslims and African Americans. The Vermont senator endorsed Uygur the day before in the special election to replace former Rep. Katie Hill. Uygur is facing off against at least nine other candidates, four of whom are Democrats.

4Student slain: A 13-year-old boy was arrested and charged Friday in connection with the killing of Tessa Majors, an 18-year-old Barnard College student who was fatally stabbed while walking through a park near campus, law enforcement officials said. Investigators suspected that the boy was part of a group that attacked Majors on Wednesday night as she was walking through Morningside Park in Manhattan. Detectives believe two other people participated in the stabbing, the official said. The killing of Majors, a first-year college student from Virginia who was interested in journalism and played in a rock band, rattled university students and other city residents.

5Conservative victory: A Wisconsin judge on Friday ordered that the registration of up to 234,000 voters be tossed out because they may have moved, a victory for conservatives that could make it more difficult for people to vote next year in the key swing state. Ozaukee County Judge Paul Malloy sided with three voters represented by a conservative law firm who argued the state elections commission should have immediately deactivated any of the roughly 234,000 voters who didn’t respond to an October mailing within 30 days.